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The 7 Best Shampoo Options for Every Hair Type
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- Best Shampoo for Thinning Hair: Derma E Thickening Shampoo
- Best Dandruff Shampoo for Itchy Scalp: Derma E Scalp Relief Shampoo
- Best Natural Shampoo: 100% PURE Honey & Virgin Coconut Restorative Shampoo
- Best Shampoo for Fine Hair: OUAI Fine Hair Shampoo
- Best Shampoo for Color-Treated Hair: Pureology Hydrate Moisturizing Shampoo
- Best Shampoo FAQs
It used to be relatively easy to pick out a shampoo—simply walk into your local drugstore and pick out a scent you like from just a few options.
Now, entire aisles are lined with shampoo bottles, making it challenging to determine which ones are best—and when you factor in different hair types and concerns, you might be standing in the Target shampoo aisle all day long.
In this article, we narrowed down the best shampoos for every hair type—whether you’re prone to oily hair and dandruff, want some volume, or need to protect your color-treated hair, we’ve got you covered
| Thinning Hair | Itchy Scalp | Oily Hair |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Derma E | Derma E | ACURE |
| Hair Type | Thinning | Dandruff/Itchy | Oily |
| Cost | $10 for 10oz ($1.00/oz) Shop Now | $10 for 10oz ($1.00/oz) Shop Now | $9.99 for 8oz ($1.25/oz) Shop Now |
Best for: Anyone with thinning hair or hair loss looking to create more volume and growth with a healthy shampoo.
Derma E Thickening Shampoo is our pick for the best shampoo for hair growth and thinning hair, as it contains a blend of ingredients designed to thicken hair, create volume, and nourish and stimulate follicles to promote hair growth.
Some of the prominent hair growth ingredients in Derma E Thickening Shampoo include:
- Eucalyptus Oil: An essential oil that supports healthy hair texture, volume, and growth by soothing scalp dryness and stimulating hair follicles.
- Peppermint and Spearmint Oils: Add a refreshing scent and help to cool and nourish the scalp to support healthy hair texture.
- Tea Tree Oil: An anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial oil that helps to eliminate unwanted bacteria, product buildup, and flakes.
- Provitamin B5 (panthenol): Works to deeply hydrate and nourish the scalp and follicles to strengthen hair and help create shininess and softness.
- Bakuchiol: A natural retinol alternative that increases cell turnover and promotes collagen production for hair growth.
- Aloe Vera: Contains vitamins A, C, and E for healthy hair and deep hydration. Aloe vera also stimulates blood circulation, which facilitates new hair growth.
We also love that this shampoo is free of unhealthy ingredients like parabens, sulfates, and phthalates and doesn’t contain synthetic fragrances—instead, the essential oils provide an invigorating and minty scent.
If you’re struggling with thinning hair or hair loss, we’d recommend Derma E Thickening Shampoo as an affordable way to stimulate hair growth and create more volume.
Best for: Anyone with dandruff or itchy and irritated scalps who want a natural alternative to chemical dandruff shampoos.
Derma E Scalp Relief Shampoo is one of the best dandruff shampoos, but it also is perfect for people who have itchy scalps, eczema, scalp irritation, scalp eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, or product buildup.
The scalp-supporting ingredients in this formula include:
- Therapeutic Psorzema® Herbal Blend: A plant-based blend of neem, burdock, and bearberry replenishes dry, irritated, and scaly scalps, helping to promote overall scalp and hair health.
- Tea Tree and Menthol: Helps calm and cool itchy scalps and maintains scalp purity over time.
- Salicylic Acid and White Willow Bark Extract: Penetrate to remove excess flakes and surface buildup and support scalp health.
- Aloe Vera Extract: Contains enzymes and vitamins that soothe, moisturize, and promote the scalp’s blood circulation.
- Vitamins A and E: Antioxidant-rich vitamins that replenish the scalp and hair to promote manageability and shine.
- Provitamin B5 (Panthenol): Deeply hydrates and nourishes the scalp and hair follicles for shiny, stronger hair.
While many dandruff shampoos on the market have an icky chemical smell, Derma E Scalp Relief Shampoo uses tea tree oil and menthol for a natural herbal and minty scent.
However, some ingredients—like salicylic acid and tea tree oil—may be too harsh for people with dry hair or sensitive scalps.
Best for: People with oily hair or those who get a lot of product buildup and need a healthy clarifying shampoo.
Loaded with extracts and oils of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, ACURE Curiously Clarifying Shampoo is an excellent non-toxic option for a clarifying shampoo.
Clarifying shampoos are deep cleansers for people with oily hair or anyone who needs to remove excess oil, dirt, minerals from hard water, chlorine from swimming, or product buildup from their hair and scalp.
A buildup of these oily and grimy compounds can cause your hair to appear dull, heavy, greasy, and limp and even interfere with healthy hair growth.
ACURE Curiously Clarifying Shampoo is our favorite clarifying shampoo for oily hair, as it contains no unhealthy or toxic chemicals and uses natural plant extracts for scent.
Some of the healthy ingredients you’ll find in this shampoo include aloe, argan oil, sea buckthorn, pomegranate, lemongrass, rosemary, avocado oil, blackberry, and acai—and no, this is not the ingredient list on the back of a smoothie!
Best for: People of all types of hair who want a natural shampoo with non-toxic ingredients and no fragrance.
For all of our non-toxic and natural-loving friends, 100% PURE Honey & Virgin Coconut Restorative Shampoo is the shampoo for you.
Their name says it all—this shampoo is 100% pure and uses ingredients you could eat, including coconut oil, honey, rosemary, thyme, aloe leaf juice, kelp extract, green tea, and more.
One of their standout ingredients is rose hydrosol, which not only provides floral notes but also reduces inflammation, maintains the skin’s pH balance, and controls excess oil.
This shampoo is great for all hair types, including dry hair and color-treated hair.
We also applaud the Ingredient Glossary that 100% Pure provides on their website for customers to learn more about what they use—no sketchy additives slipping under the radar here.
Best for: People with finer hair who want a shampoo that won’t weigh hair down.
OUAI Fine Hair Shampoo is our top pick for anyone with hair that’s fine-textured and tends to get limp or flat within hours of washing.
It uses chia seed oil to nourish and moisturize the hair, which is a lightweight oil best for fine-haired people.
You’ll also find biotin to strengthen hair and hydrolyzed keratin to smooth frizz and add shine—and no harmful ingredients like parabens or sulfates here.
However, OUAI’s fine hair shampoo is expensive and scented with synthetic fragrances (Italian lemon, white musk, and jasmine)—although most reviewers love the smell.
Best for: People with medium, thick, coarse, or curly color-treated hair looking to maintain their dye.
Pureology Hydrate Moisturizing Shampoo is one of the best shampoos for color-treated hair, as it uses a sulfate-free Anti-Fade Complex to maintain hair color vibrancy and nourish the hair.
Some key ingredients in this shampoo include jojoba to add moisture, sage to stimulate hair follicles, green tea to promote scalp health, and multi-weight proteins to repair damaged hair.
It also has a spa-like scent of lavender, bergamot, and patchouli, although some of the fragrance is synthetic.
However, Pureology Hydrate Moisturizing Shampoo is pricey and not the best choice for fine or thin hair.
Best for: Anyone with curly hair, coarse hair, or coiled hair looking for a healthy shampoo to maintain curl shape and hydrate dryness.
Briogeo Curl Charisma Hydrating Shampoo is an excellent shampoo for curly hair, as well as wavy, coarse, coiled, or kinked hair types.
The key curl-loving ingredient in this shampoo is tomato fruit ferment, which converts into the amino acid cysteine and seals the hair cuticle to ensure that curls dry consistently and maintain their shape.
It also contains rice amino acids to fight frizz and shea butter and avocado oil for hydration and moisture retention.
We also love that it contains 97% naturally derived ingredients without gluten, silicones, parabens, or sulfates.
As a bonus, Briogeo Curl Charisma Hydrating Shampoo is also safe for color-treated, keratin-treated, chemically-treated, and relaxed hair.
Best Shampoo FAQs
What Is the Healthiest Shampoo for Hair?
Healthy shampoos do not contain parabens, sulfates, silicones, or artificial dyes. Some of the healthiest shampoos made with natural hair care ingredients include:
• Derma E Scalp Relief Shampoo
• ACURE Curiously Clarifying Shampoo
• 100% PURE Honey & Virgin Coconut Restorative Shampoo
Is It Healthier to Not Use Shampoo in Your Hair?
Some people advocate for the “No-Poo” method—which stands for “no shampoo,” not in reference to a different area of the bathroom.
The theory behind “No-Poo” is that traditional shampoos strip hair of its natural oils by lathering and using detergent-like chemicals.
Rather, No-Poo proponents cleanse their hair with natural items like baking soda and apple cider vinegar or simply rinse the hair with water and use conditioner.
Whether or not you use shampoo is up to you, although if you have any scalp issues, fine or very oily hair, or exercise and sweat a lot, it might not work well. People with curly or coarse hair may benefit from not using shampoo the most.
However, there are many natural, sulfate-free, and non-toxic shampoos on the market today if you want to avoid artificial ingredients and chemicals.
How Do I Choose the Best Shampoo for My Hair?
Start by assessing your hair type—do you have fine, medium, or coarse hair, or thinner or thicker texture? Is it straight, wavy, or curly?
There are shampoo options for just about every hair type. You can also choose a shampoo based on your values, like choosing non-toxic and organic ingredients.
How Often Should You Shampoo Hair?
The No-Poo crowd would say never, but experts like board-certified dermatologists typically recommend shampooing your hair about three times per week.
If you sweat a lot, have fine or thin hair, exercise regularly, or live in a hot and humid climate, you may want to shampoo daily or every other day—there’s no hard rule for how often to shampoo, as everyone has different types of hair and lifestyles.
Typically, going two to three days between hair washing can help your hair to produce its natural oils in the correct amounts—not over-producing excess oil or under-producing.
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